What are Prokaryota?

Prokaryotic cells are primitive cells that lack the nucleus. Instead of storing genetic material into well -organized chromosomes protected by the core bound to the membrane, prokaryotes store their genetic material in an irregularly shaped "nucleoioide" consisting of 60% DNA. The essential DNA is also stored in small organelles outside the nucleoid called plasmids, which are small rings of genetic material (1-400 kilobase), which are copied together with the normal cell division process and can also be replaced between prokaryotes. The replacement of plasmids is partly responsible for the ability of prokaryotes to quickly adapt to external threats such as antibiotics. Most Prokaryotes are freely floating and independent, although some form different types of colonies and Cyanobacteria even show some degree of differentiation of cells that can be interpreted as primitive plant traits such as stems, vines, etc.

The division between eukaryotes and Prokaryota is considered to be the most important division of the whole kingdom of life. Simple Prokaryotes of Archaea domain existed for 3.8 billion years or more, while eukaryotes existed only about 600 million years - more than six difference. Many astrobiologists and universe enthusiasts hope to find eukaryotic life on other planets, where the conditions are too extreme to appear a prokaryotic life to be very likely. One of the cited potential location is the methane lakes Saturnian Moon Titan.

Probably the biggest success of Prokaryotes was what allowed other forms of life - the mass conversion of atmospheric CO2 into oxygen. This happened to be 2.4 billion years old is called oxygen disaster because it caused a mass extinction between organisms that have not been adapted to the breathing of the new air. We can determine the date of oxygen disaster because its occurrence has led to oxidation of most free ironon the surface of the Earth and created a sharp transition from iron to rust in layers of layers.